Facebook Bug Exposed Contact Information Stored On Profiles

June 22, 2013

Facebook has discovered a bug that compromised contact information for millions of people. The company estimates that about 6 million users had email addresses or telephone numbers inadvertently shared with others they have a connection to.

“The bug, which has since been repaired, was part of the Download Your Information tool, which lets Facebook users export all the data from profiles, such as posts to their timeline and conversations with friends. People using the tool may have downloaded inadvertently the contact information for people they were somehow connected to.”

Facebook adds that the addresses or numbers were only shared with one person “in almost all cases,” and that the information was only accessible to people on Facebook — not to developers or advertisers.

“It’s still something we’re upset and embarrassed by, and we’ll work doubly hard to make sure nothing like this happens again,” the company says.

Support for NEPR.net is provided by:

Participate

Take a tour of the Springfield headquarters of NEPR! Free, public tours take place monthly at 5 p.m. on Thursdays. The guided tour will take you through the NEPR newsroom, studios, music library and technical operations room, and will tell you about our history and mission.